Market District Offers Free Hepatitis C Screenings

Giant Eagle and the American Liver Foundation have partnered to offer a series of free rapid hepatitis C screenings at four Pittsburgh-area Giant Eagle pharmacies, including the South Hills Market District in Bethel Park.

The screenings will feature the OraQuick HCV (Hepatitis C) Rapid Antibody Test, which will be administered via a fingerstick blood sample, with results available in 20 minutes.

The testing events will be held on the following Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: May 4, 11 and 18.

Allegheny County contains one of the highest concentrations of older individuals in the nation, including people born between 1945 and 1965, also known as "baby boomers." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, baby boomers are five times more likely than other adults to be infected with hepatitis C, and in fact, they make up 75 percent of adults with the disease.

Getting tested can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, helping to prevent liver damage, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. It's estimated that one-time testing of baby boomers will prevent more than 120,000 deaths.

The Saturday testing events will mark the first time that a major grocery chain will provide on-site rapid hepatitis C testing.

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